From The Stimson Group

A Primer Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook

If no one had been born after 1980 I would not be writing this article, the Internet would be mostly text-based, and I would still be putting a CD in my computer to play a game. Technology moves forward and is continually reshaped by the demands, thoughts, and dynamics of a much younger world. And, those "youth" - or young at heart - are initiating, defining, and establishing trends at an alarming rate. By the time we as a society have noticed that a trend exists, the baseline rules are already in place and there are millions of users/adapters/collaborators who have accepted this phenomenon as a norm. Electronic social networking is one trend that has taken on a life of its own and is fast replacing the business card as a primary personal marketing tool.

If you just can't stand the idea of doing online networking yourself, consider this:

Online business networking is a lot like going to a party for business reasons: you many dread the ritual, but you will probably meet someone you'll do business with one day. And for that other person, the fact that you were there really mattered to them.

When I explain online networking tools, I use this analogy: Linkedin is a business meeting, Facebook is a backyard barbecue, MySpace is a singles bar, Twitter is a stickie note on your computer monitor. I use four primary networking tools. Linkedin, Facebook, Plaxo, and Twitter (no MySpace!). If you are in sales or marketing, you might need this many or more. Management needs at least one and the discipline to use it. First stop, Linkedin

Here's my Linkedin profile page (Hey Tom, how's that shameless self-promotion thing working out for you? - Pretty well, you should try it.)

Linkedin is like an online resume. You might mistake it for a job board - and it gets used for that - but it is so much more. There are millions of users, a powerful search engine, and targetable groups of folks with similar interests. It is also secure, professional, and widely used. I do not get spammed via Linkedin and the contacts I make are the real thing because I choose to accept them. This site is all about expanding your network and doing business.

Whenever I make a new business contact, I check Linkedin to see if they are listed and send them an invite to connect if they are. I started by uploading my address book and connecting to folks who are already members. Once a month or more, I check to see if there are new members from my list and invite them (also, people invite me). Building up this large contact base provides me means to connect to other folks I might be trying to reach, but have not met. For instance, if I want to meet or talk to the owner/manager of a particular company, I would search that company name and find the right person to reach out to. Linkedin will tell me how many connections away he/she might be (degrees of separation). I would then use my best available connection to make an introduction for me. If I am looking for new prospects, I might search for "AV integrator". Thousands of contacts will come up and I can drill down from there.

But for me the real value of Linkedin is passive marketing. I have many contacts that have recommended me and that shows up on my profile. Also, I put up a status change about once a week to let people know what I am doing. I do not do any obvious self-promotion "Call me, I need work!" but prefer to indicate travel schedule, business ideas, and non-profit work. Whenever you change something on your profile, that action shows up in the status report that your contacts follow when they log in. These count as "touches" in marketing terms. You need about 12-16 touches per year to stay fresh in people's minds.

You might also be surprised to know that I have received many business offers through Linkedin. People in my network use the site to contact me when they finally decide they need my services. I too find that if I reach out to someone via Linkedin - as opposed to just sending them an email - my response rate goes up dramatically. People choose to use online networking and therefore respond to it. They may not answer your direct email because they did not ask you for it.

I know many of you are thinking,
"I don't have time for this. I don't need a bunch of people trying to sell me stuff or ask for jobs! (I'm too important) This is not how I do business!"
- I understand, but people said the same things about telephones and email.

I use another site for different reasons - Plaxo. Although Plaxo has many of the same features as Linkedin and even Facebook as

far as online networking goes, I use it primarily to update my address book. It has a feature that links to your Outlook or Apple Address Book and when someone changes their phone or address, Plaxo syncs and updates your data. Some folks use Plaxo as their business "Facebook" and post pictures and links. I find I get a better response when I post a shared link on Plaxo than I do on Linkedin or Facebook. Because it helps me keep track of contact info I think Plaxo is a useful tool. Oh, and here's my Plaxo profile page.

Facebook is mostly for fun. I have a personal and a professional listing. I connect to

industry friends on my pro page. I have close friends and family on my personal FB. Here's my page in case you want to be "friends". If you want to rationalize FB from a business perspective, think of it as the ultimate icebreaker. When you do run into one of your FB friends in person, you'll have something to talk about. Not everyone wants to drop their shields, but most of us need to.

For those of you that have taken my Sales Training Seminar have heard me say not to use FB for business. I still believe that, but we all have a lot of friends who are in the business. FB fills that gap between bull sessions at a show or in the bar. You may learn more about someone than you care to know, but that could happen at a party. Folks come to FB to relax, kill time, and socialize. They generally aren't there to do business. But - like golf - socializing can maintain a business relationship or even strengthen it.

Finally, (and this article is longer than I had planned!) let me TRY to explain Twitter. (-_-);

Ok, I give up. Here's some other folks' explanations for Twitter:

Practical Intended Uses
How to Use Correctly
Jon Stewart on Twitter
Hilarious Explanation to Your Grandparents

See you online!